The 27-year-old limped off in the first half of Milan's 2-1 victory against Roma on Saturday, with coach Massimiliano Allegri confirming in the post-match press conference that the defender was automatically ruled out of Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first-leg with Barcelona.

Further assessment of the injury has shown that Thiago Silva has suffered an injury to the biceps femoris of the right thigh, with an estimated recovery time of three to four weeks.

This means that the Brazilian will at least sit out of Milan's next six matches, including the Champions League doubleheader tie against the holders.

Thiago Silva, who joined Milan in 2009 in a 10 million euro deal, has made 36 appearances in all competitions in 2011-12, scoring three goals.